Eagles Could Lose Key Coach in Development of Jalen Hurts

Getty Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and offensive coordinator Shane Steichen have worked extremely well together, but their relationship may have an expiration date.

The Philadelphia Eagles have had tremendous success on offense this season largely due to the success of quarterback Jalen Hurts, who has made tremendous strides forward this season. Hurts sits second only to Josh Allen in total yards by a quarterback this season, and a lot of credit for his continued development has to go to offensive coordinator Shane Steichen.

The 37-year-old is responsible for play calling, so ultimately he’s the one tailoring the offense to Hurts and putting him in a position to succeed. But he may not be the one doing it for long.

Steichen’s name is already being floated for the head coaching job in Carolina, after the Panthers fired Matt Rhule in the wake of a 1-4 start. He’s considered the third most likely candidate by sports books, and Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports lists him third behind Sean Payton and DeMeco Ryans.

Bookmakers have Sean Payton and Dan Quinn ahead of him, with the odds listed by Odds Shark giving Steichen about a one in five chance of landing the gig.

That turmoil in Carolina, by the way, could have the Panthers shopping dual-threat running back Christian McCaffrey, and the Eagles could end up in the mix. For now, the Panthers have elevated defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach Steve Wilks to the interim head coaching job.

Eagles Offense Lighting It Up Under Shane Steichen

The NFL’s Game Statistics and Information System has an easily accessible grid of team rankings on each side of the ball, which makes it easy to take a broad look at how successful a unit is. How good are the Eagles? They rank in the top-10 in 13 of 15 offensive categories, and in the top six in nine of them.

The Birds sit fifth in points per game with 27, second in yards per game with 420, second in time of possession at nearly 34 minutes, second in first downs, and they lead the league in passing yards per play at 8.17 yards, while also sitting fourth with 160 rushing yards per game.

The Eagles have not only been moving the ball nearly at will this year, they’ve proven they can do so on the ground or through the air. That said, it’s the development of Hurts that will probably catapult Steichen near the top of the Panthers wish list, as they’ll be trying to sort out the quarterback position.

So far this year, Hurts has improved his completion percentage from 61.3% to 67.9%, his yards per attempt are up from 7.3 to 8.5, his quarterback rating has skyrocketed from 87.2 to 97.4, and he’s passing the eye test as well. Hurts has also taken better care of the ball, throwing an interception once every 80 passes as opposed to once per 48 attempts last season.

Eagles Enjoying Individual Success on Offense Too

Miles Sanders is third in the league with 414 rushing yards, while A.J. Brown is fifth in receiving yards with 436. Dallas Goedert is second among tight ends with 335 yards through the air.

All three are on pace for career years, as well. Sanders is tracking for 1,407 rushing yards, which would shatter his career high of 867. Brown is on track for 1,482 yards, which would top his personal best of 1,075. Goedert is on schedule to hit 1,139 yards, blowing past his previous best of 830.

At the end of the day – or in this case the season, losing coordinators is often the price of success in the NFL. Young and successful offensive minds always rise to the top of the lists of potential coaching candidates, and if the Eagles keep performing at this level, Steichen is almost guaranteed to receive an offer next offseason.